Do you need probiotics? Well, have you ever taken antibiotics??
Of course you have. Most people have had at least one round of antibiotics in their lifetime. Antibiotics definitely have their purpose and can be lifesaving.
The problem is that when they do their job of killing the bugs that are making you sick, they ALSO kill the good bacteria in your gut that are necessary for your health. Just one course of antibiotics, can all but wipe out your good bacteria for up to 12 months. 12 MONTHS!!! This can cause all sorts of problems including digestive issues and impairment of your immune system, which increases your risk of getting sick again!
There is new research being published all the time about the benefits of these good bacteria or PROBIOTICS. At the nutrition conference that I attended this weekend, there were lots of references to probiotics, and also to the link between our gut and our brain.
What I found most interesting was the link between anxiety and probiotics. Dr. Meghan Walker mentioned that a good MICROBIOME (the bacteria in your gut that is supposed to be there) can help blunt the stress response.
Your good bacteria can help reduce the effect of stress on your body and can improve your mood. How crazy is that?
Want to learn more? Check out this article: Best Probiotics for Mood
You can take probiotics in supplement form, in various strengths. Be sure to use a good quality probiotic that guarantees potency. Most good quality probotics can be found in the refrigerated section of your health food store.
But the right food can be a fantastic source of probiotics, and you need to eat anyway! Naturally fermented foods like sauerkraut and pickles (not the ones soaked in vinegar), yogurt, kefir, kimchi and kombucha are good choices. Go eat some bugs…some good bacteria, that is. That doesn’t sound any more appealing though, does it?
Eat your probiotics 🙂
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